The Loadout Room
Professional Gear Reviews
3 things that make my travel better:
1) Apple Airpods – I can toss them in and out of my pocket, split one off and listen to music with my kids.
2) Patagonia light puffy jacket – permanently lives in my backpack without impact.
3) Osprey Camera case – keeps small point and shoot camera and GoPro at the ready.
*Photo courtesy of Eric Davis Instagram page
*Article courtesy of ericdavis215.com
Have you noticed the trajectory of your income, your free time and energy slowly flattening out or maybe even declining?
Does it feel like you’ve got less time for friends, family, fitness and fun?
If it feels like getting things like, earning a living, saving for retirement and paying the bills are taking more time, effort and energy it’s likely because they are — and here’s why.
Things are getting harder for most of the population because we’re now competing with “superhumans” and it’s likely that you are too.
The good news is that superhuman levels of performance are accessible to anyone who needs them. Really, the only barrier is realizing that you do.
A while back, I was flown out to Wall Street to speak to several groups of financial professionals. It was my intent to do my thing and deliver some game-changing performance knowledge—formulas for success, new mindsets, paradigms, mental toughness. You know, the stuff people can actually use.
But, as I was entering Manhattan, crossing over the Manhattan bridge in the back of a blacked out Suburban, something flooded my brain. I think it was a bit of the “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere,” spirit that New York City exudes, mixing with a faint memory of SEAL training that I was indulging myself in as I looked over the textured waters of the Hudson.
Whatever it was, I knew my days of just telling SEAL stories about superhuman performance was over. It was time to teach others how to perform at those levels themselves—not just because I got a wild hair all of a sudden, but because I had realized that if those I work with were to survive and thrive in this new world, they’d have no choice but to elevate, to level up, so to speak.
You see, while I was prepping for the talk, I had come across a book titled Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, The Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists are Revolutionizing the Way we Live and Work, by Steven Kotler. This was the first time I’d ever read an outsider’s recognition of the ability to repurpose the performance principles of the SEAL teams for life and business.
The book describes how SEALs tap into an altered state of consciousness to do what they do—what Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls a “state of flow” in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, a book that I’ve had sitting by my side for several years now.
It also describes our brotherhood and what it looks like when we begin to tap into things like “group flow” and “group genius.” The author reported on what he’d been able to glimpse while observing us in training and in action. It was fun to read that others were starting to get a small notion of some of the things that allow small numbers of SEALs to dominate entire battlefields.
At first, I was a bit worried. I mean, this had been my secret sauce for years, and now it’s out in the public?
But as I kept reading, I realized that although others are starting to recognize the altered states of consciousness, refined operating procedures and our tribal culture of violent execution, they were still no where close to being able to replicate it in others. At least not within the private sector en masse.
In other words, it seemed like the author was able to observe the outcomes and contributing factors of superhuman performance, but was unable to identify how the actual components of those altered states can be intentionally and repetitively trained and developed in any situation.
Yes, others knew about the “secret sauce”—could taste it, observe it, write about it—but they didn’t truly understand the ingredients or the recipe required to deliver it to others.
I was stoked to realize that my secret was still safe, but it was in the back of that Suburban that I realized I was going to have to give it up, because it was clear to me that people were starting to stumble upon these heightened levels of performance. These high performers were beginning to show up enough that they’re now affecting the way we all live and work; both personally and professionally.
Do you remember a time when superhuman performance was only for guys doing three backflips on their dirt bikes and jumping out of planes without parachutes? About Navy SEALs killing Osama Bin Laden? But, what about a stay-at-home mom? An executive? A salesperson? A Doctor, A father? A friend?
Until recently, corporations weren’t trying to tap into it any more than school teachers were. However, things have changed. There are now enough Superhuman performers out there that it’s affecting all walks of life.
The world has become more complex. We’re bombarded with responsibilities and ways of managing them. The outdated formula of going to school, getting good grades, getting a job, and working hard for 30 years is finished. Kaput. It will never work anymore. An individual or even hundreds of individuals “working hard” can’t compete with small teams of people working in coordination with one another, tapping into group genius, operating as superhumans.
To survive and thrive, we must be in constant invention of new and more effective ways of building and maintaining our capacity. Our roles and responsibilities will no longer remain stagnant for decades at a time. They’ll continue to evolve and change, and if you don’t get good, really good, at getting good at things, then you won’t be able to keep up.
Some of you are already feeling this, even now as you read this paper. Schedules are tightening rather than loosening. The more money you make, the more you spend. Muscles are atrophying. Energy is waning.
So, why are you working harder and harder just to keep up? Why does life seem to be getting busier and more demanding?
It’s because there’s a new standard of performance out there that you’re competing against, whether you realize it or not.
Now that you know, it’s time to up your game. It’s time to recapture lost time, money, and energy. It’s time to do things better, faster, and bigger, with less effort. It’s time to get after life on a superhuman level.
Eric
To learn more about superhuman performance, visit Eric’s website and get onto the path of a rewarding lifestyle.
It was on a stationary bike, main deck, Port Side of a Navy “Gator Freighter”, cruising the Arabian Gulf waiting for my next mission. This is when I learned how critical beauty is to my ability to perform.
As the lead Sniper, I was separated from my platoon so that I had immediate access to the helo assets I required to protect them. Every night the call would come in and I’d rush to load the helicopter’s radios with our special crypto key so that I could establish secret communications with my assault team below. I’d quickly rig the helicopter in a way that would allow me to hang myself out it’s door should the need to engage any targets arise.
The hours were unpredictable, sleep was hit and miss. Not looking, smelling or moving like a regular ship sailor I stood out, people stared at me as I walked the halls, ate my food, slept in their berthing compartments during the day when they were awake. As a very active “Pack Animal” type I could feel the zoochosis burning me up from the inside out. Luckily she was close by.
Being alone was taking a toll on me. If it weren’t for that stationary bike that someone had the good sense to place outside, I don’t know how long I would have lasted. Not the bike, but the view became a sort of a mistress to me. A beauty that called to me every morning as the helicopter returned me to the ship just before the sun came up.
Though I was exhausted from the night’s operations, I’d still make my way to that bike. I’d turn on some Reggae music, settle into the saddle and just ride as I stared out over the endless ocean and watched the sunrise. After my time with her, I’d return to the reality of being an outsider on the ship. Some food, a shower and then I’d make my way through the staring faces, climb into someone else’s rack, and fall asleep only to wake a few hours later ready for the next mission.
As an Entrepreneur, my relationship with beauty became spotty. I’d get locked on to my work. Stopping to take the time to be with her felt like something more extravagant than I deserved or needed. For a while my life had become only about the fight. No rest, no breaks, one thing to another. I forgot about my relationship with beauty, and a high “Op Tempo” took her place and began to weaken me. It left me dependent on non productive habits to get through my day–non stop work, comfort food, staying up late, alcohol. It all began to destroy me and that’s when she showed up.
I knew better. I knew that touching beauty brought me back to life, recharged my batteries and never failed to launch me back into the fight more ready and more violent than when I left it. But I’ve also since learned that there’s much more to her. Though she’s complex, she’ll capture you effortlessly if you let her.
You see what happens is we eventually fall in love with the beauty we expose ourselves to– favorite point break, a lake, a mountain range, a trail by our house, a long run, a new mountain bike. She consumes us, and when she does she pushes out the busywork and meaningless thoughts and activities that have been in our way of living meaningful lives. This is when her real power comes in.
You see, these meaningless thoughts and activities produce fatigue, boredom and diffusion. When they are replaced by her and she takes up residence, she inoculates us with high doses of energy and excitement. She gives us a sort of something better to do that also makes us better at being who we were meant to be.
Now this isn’t as simple as reading a story about her and skipping out our door lovestruck to find her.
Like any powerful relationship, she’ll require your time and attention. You gotta buy her shit all of the time (gear), bring her to new places regularly (travel) and keep things fresh and exciting (new activities) to keep her fire stoked because she’s only going to burn as hot as you feed her. And you need her smoking hot if she’s going to keep your time and attention.
In Tim Ferris’s book “The 4-Hour Workweek” there was a single sentence that redefined both love and happiness for me. I believe it describes both the how and the why of having beauty in our lives.
“The opposite of love is indifference, and the opposite of happiness is—here’s the clincher—boredom.”
– Tim Ferris –
So whatever beauty you tap into has to be hot enough to burn brighter than all of the unnecessary bull shit that likely occupies your attention and time. You can’t be indifferent to her. Like the sunset, Reggae music and stationary bike in the Arabian Gulf, she’ll demand that she matters enough for you to come back to her everyday, every time you complete a mission.
But! This is no one way street either. She’s got a job to do and she loves doing it. She has keep you entertained, excited, far from bored. You have to matter to her as well. She has to be fun as hell.
Much like any relationship, I’ve found that her and I need regular alone time during the week. “Date Nights” so to speak. But it’s also important that we periodically get away from it all and re-stoke the fire.
For years I attempted to enroll other men around me to travel places and engage in the badass activities required to fan this fire, but I learned that most men are cooked, and ensnared in life sentences of domestication, so I did the only reasonable thing there was to do. I changed my business model and started a thing called “Strategic Training Groups.” I created the SEa-Air-Land (SEAL) Excursions for the men who would join them.
Launching these groups and the excursions was critical for me. It reconnected me to her in ways that I never thought possible; but, I also learned that 3 times a year wasn’t nearly enough. Once I got a taste, I realized that the “long distance” relationship wasn’t going to cut it. Now within the groups and some of the courses I do, I spend time talking and teaching about beauty. How to find her, keep her and straight up have a blast with her everyday. For me, once I made the choice to be in this relationship with her, it’s been effortless to maintain. It just took getting into it.
Now – Go find her!
Eric
Republished with permission from Eric Davis. Be sure to check out Eric’s website for more information on human performance.
The reason I’ve gotten so “into” everything I did as a SEAL is that, for me, it always related back to my personal life as well. I think this is why I don’t see anything for what it is, but I always see them for what they could or should be. Assisted climbing falls into the category of “Tactical Fun” for sure.
Most of us have stuck our foot in the loop of a rope and swung from a tree somewhere. Some of us have busted our ass doing this as well. Few of us have taken “Tree Swinging to the next level.
Next time you go camping with family or friends make sure you bring a minimal climbing kit with you.
Find a way to get that rope over a high branch, secure it, strap the kids in, and let’m fly! Then make sure to give your self a turn.
In general I leave all the “Gardening Work” to… well – the gardeners. This was until my neighbor told me they charge $50 a palm tree to cut out the nasty stuff that falls all over the place. Not going to happen!
So I’m online and I learn about an amazing profession called being an Arborist. Oh ya… Their entire job is to climb trees.
Well as it turns out with any profession, they’ve perfected the art, science and safety of tree climbing. There are tons of options for tree rigging, but this one looked like the latest and greatest. Mini Frog Kit.
Tree Frogs
The Mini Frog kit is a type of “Frog” system for climbing a Single Rope quickly and efficiently. In any Frog System, the climber alternates standing on a foot ascender with standing on a foot strap connected to a hand ascender so that climbing the rope is a lot like climbing a ladder. A chest ascender keeps the climber upright and provides the primary method of attachment on the line.
I know everyone is flying the “Jolly Roger” nowadays, but pirates are criminal turds unless they are conducting VBSS operations. Then they’re cool.
I had the pleasure of dawning a black hood over 17 times in my life when conducting US sanctioned Visit Board Search & Seizure (VBSS). Legal “Good Guy” pirating. Much like my new found Arborist cousins, our job was to come from below, ascend to the heart of the vessel and extricate the undesirable.
There are a variety of ways to do this, and I have found the coolest by far. The only problem is that I have to write it up in another post. Stay tuned.
It will be too expensive to buy, so if you’re looking for a personal option, go with this one.
Eric
Editors note: This article was republished with permission from ericdavis215.com blog. For more lifestyle gear articles be sure to check out his blog.
There are many similar mantras that get slung by the Boy Scouts: “Be Prepared” or the tactical type, “Always Be Ready.” Both of these terms imply a state of readiness in preparation for an emergency, attack, or survival situation, but neither address the disaster that most of us are already right in the middle of. The disaster of an unadventurous life. To understand my point, as well as this philosophy, you’ll first need to ask yourself the question “Who do you want to be ready to be?”
Don’t worry… now’s not the time for us to go sit under a tree and get deep, but let’s, for the moment, define ourselves simply by what we are ready for.
If a “magician” is standing on a stage without any of his props, is he a magician or is he just a guy standing on a stage? Is a person who is trained in neurosurgery a neurosurgeon if she has no access to operating rooms or surgical instruments?
If an outdoorsmen is driving home from work with nothing more than a briefcase, coffee breath and a stiff neck, is he really an outdoorsman or is he a corporate stiff? Think about it… “You are what you’re ready for.”
For me this question hit me like a ton of bricks when I found myself in a job that required a 2.5 hour daily commute. The drive plus my work left me little space to “be” anything but my job and a commuter.
I was happy to have the space to be my job, which was that of a SEAL, but how would I continue to be all of the other things I also wanted to be? I didn’t want to just be my job, I wanted to be an outdoorsman, waterman, athlete, father, a pilot. All of the things I love versus all of the realities of life. I would have to come up with something to make it all happen.
One day, after a particularly long commute home, I was just smoked. During the entire two-hour drive I was either looking to my left at the ocean or to my right at the mountains. Sitting in traffic I began to fantasize about pulling over and going surfing or mountain biking to let the traffic die down, and that’s when it hit me.
If I was “prepared” I could easily go from being a “commuter” to anything I wanted to be. If I was prepared.
From that day forward I would always have my Toyota 4Runner loaded and ready to be what I wanted to be when I wanted to be it.
You see, when I was driving home without any of my equipment, I was just a commuter; but, when I had my truck prepared properly I could be a surfer, runner or a mountain biker. All much better options than being just a “commuter.” No offense to you “commuters” out there, but I think you know what I mean.
It was that moment when I started to think about who I would be and what I would have to do to be ready to be that person. The solution was obvious, simple and it worked.
I chose the top 5 things I wanted to “be” and then I outfitted my truck to support them. I no longer have to commute but I still keep my truck ready because I’ve found that when I have my stuff with me I tend to be much more active. I mean like five times more active.
Here’s how I’m currently organized:
I’ve always loved the ocean and being in it. It has always kept me centered, and it always will.
If you were to pull down the back right seat of my Tundra you will find a pair of fins, dive mask, snorkel, dive booties, dive light and a knife.
On the passenger side of the truck you will find a full-sized speargun always ready to go. And yes, my wife Belisa gets pissed when she trips over it.
On the driver’s side, laying from front to back there are two stand up paddles stashed along the floor. On top you’ll find a Standup Paddle board locked to my racks.
Since I have this equipment ready I find myself in the water, diving or paddle boarding several times a month.
Also behind the back seats—yes Tundras have a ton of space—you will find two full climbing rigs, compound bows, backpacking food, stoves and backpacks.
On the floor behind the seats there’s a full length “Blue Water” climbing rope.
About the cabin you will find shovels, multitools, gloves and warmies. All of this is always ready so that I can quickly and easily transition between worlds.
As much as I love just being in the outdoors I’ve noticed that my kids don’t always remain as content with Mother Nature as I do. They seem to always want to be doing something.
For this reason I keep the truck stocked with a variety of items that make any place a playground.
In the back there’s a beach chair so that I can take them to the park or beach and just let them play.
Sandwiched in the chair when folded is one of those “Bean bag” games where you have to toss the bag in the hole. Hours and hours of fun have occurred with this alone.
Hanging behind the passenger’s front seat I keep a stunt kite ready to go. I’m not a huge fan of the wind, but when it gets gusty the kite keeps us all busy for a while.
And of course there are always surfboards!
Yes, an “Adventurous Executive!” With the technology available to us today there is no reason to keep yourself cooped up in an office.
I’ve held online meetings and many conference calls from the comforts of the beach, mountains and deserts. There are few coffee breaks better than the ones taken on the trail or on the beach.
I keep mophie battery packs with me to keep me juiced up. I can and do work like this for days at a time.
So these are the things I wanted to be, but we’re all a little bit different. What you choose to be “Ready to be” is up to you and it is a choice. No longer do you have to “be” a corporate stiff, commuter or a grumpy bastard who doesn’t get out enough.
Eric…
I was leaving Ethiopia and I had a lot of valuable and sensitive stuff to bring back with me. I had a decent suitcase, but it was raining out and I knew those who would be handling my luggage wouldn’t be walking around with an umbrella covering it.
Luckily, my brother-in-law, had a North Face Duffel stashed in his closet.
The one I pictured here is “Old School” but the link below goes to the newer models.
It’s how you travel: North Face Duffels